We just got off the Jewel last Saturday May 8th. This was the 7th crusie for my wife and I and the 3rd time on NCL (Dawn and Spirit) We weren't so concerned about the itinerary, just wanted a relaxing 7 day get-a-way after this last miserable winter. I'll just give some bullet points on our Port to Port experience. -We drove to the NY Pier and I dropped my wife off with bags, parked on the roof and met up with her. As Latitiudes members we received priority check-in and from the time of arrival to walking up the gang way onto the ship it was less than an hour. We arrived at about 11am. -The first impression of the ship was beautiful, well maintained and sparkling. We made a reservation right away for Le Bistro and headed to Tsars for a nice sit down lunch. Food was very good and prompt -Make sure to pick-up a pocket ship map and the front desk and we used that to explore the ship until rooms were ready -Was easy to explore and get around once you figured out how to get from point to point. -Got into cabin at around 2 for a power nap. Bags showed up within the hour and we unpacked and went to the emergency drill. Nice that you no longer need to drag the life jackets with you and then rush to return them to your cabi. -Sailaway BBQ was typical and fine. Roasted corn was nice -Changed and went to first dinner at Tsars. Food was very good but was not impressed with wait staff. Seemed preoccupied and not interested. -Went to First Show and it was terrific. JP the comic/magician is very engaging and the Cat's Meow was great. More about them later. -Gambled. Not too good Goober. I decided that I was going to learn more at how to win at Texas Hold-Em. First night I wiped out in 5 hands. I learned from my mistakes and did better holding on after that. -Breakfast on the aft open cafe was good. Here's a tip for those who complain about lack of seating. They had Mama's Restaurant right next to the buffet open all morning and there were plenty of seats for two, five or eight people. Great Outdoors seating area a little more crowded but there was no problem getting a seat in Mama's. Crew was directing people there all morning so not sure why people complained about lack of seats. -Went to Roll Call meeting. Make sure you register and go!! Captain, Cruise Director, Hotel Manager and Entertainers were there. Got good info and John, the H/D gave his number, which we used later in the week when we had a bathroom issue. It was taken care of right away. Also received and invite for the group to take a private tour of the Bridge by the Captain. It was a highlight of the trip, very enjoyable and informative. -Dinner at Le Bistro. What can I say...Escargot as an appetizer and Chocolate Fondue with fresh fruit at desert was out of this world. They could have served White Castle Sliders as the main course and I would have been satisfied. But the meal was very good too. -On ship on sea days we just found a not too windy place to sit and relax, reading and watching the sites. -Dinner we tried Azura, the other main dining room. Food was good but service was better than the first night at Tsars so we went there the rest of the cruise. -The Shows and overall entertainment was the best we ever experienced. The Jean Ryan dance troup was great and the Circ Bijou on Thursday was out of this world. We're not a Circ de Anything fan but this was incredile. -Cat Meow, an accapella group of for guys was terrific too. They interact well together and sound amazing. Didn't hurt that they brought my wife on stage for one of their bits. She was embarassed but loved it. -Cruise Director Iian Bagshawl was very good and engaging. The shows in the smaller venues were very entertaining as well. -Grand Stirrup Cay was a fun day although we didn't stay that long..our choice. We got the first tender over and stayed maybe two hours. If you go there later in the day you can't expect to get a lot of loungers together. -Room Steward. We usually try to meet him or her the first night. Didn't happen. In fact they didn't turn down the beds the first night and hadn't made up the room by 1:30 the next day even thouught the signs were up. Started to get concerned but things picked up after that and no real complaints. Nothing spectacular but was fine after the first day. -Embarkation was a bit of a zoo. Walk offs out numbered the traditional departures but it moved and once our color was called we we off and with out bags in 10 minutes. SUMMARY-Like any cruise it's what YOU make it. If you are going ot be critical of every little thing youre not going it enjoy yourself. Go with the flow. Accept that there will be things that don't always go like they should and make the best of the situation. Youre with family of loved ones and just enjoy the company. One tip for inexperinced cruisers. About elevators, if youre going down and your in a middle deck, don't wait for a down elevator to get on. Get on whatever comes first whether it's going your way or not. It will get to the top and eventually go back down so enjoy the 2 minutes or so with your fellow passengers.